This invention relates to fluid line systems which include quick connector couplings, and more particularly to a quick connector coupling having means to verify whether a proper connection has been made between the male and female portions of the quick connector.
In automotive and other fields, quick connector couplings, which generally include a male member received and retained in a female connector body, are often utilized to provide a fluid connection between two components or conduits, thus establishing a fluid line between the two components. Use of quick connector couplings is advantageous in that a sealed and secured fluid line may be established with a minimum amount of time and expense.
Not unexpectedly, an improper connection between the male member and female connector body of a quick connector coupling can have deliterious effects on the fluid line system. At the very least, a leak in the fluid system will occur at the site of the improper connection. More serious and potentially dangerous consequences can result if the fluid is pressurized, as many fluids in automotive systems are. Thus, a reliable and accurate means for verifying a proper connection between the male member and female connector body is advantageous.
A number of methods and mechanisms exist for verification of proper connection of a quick connector coupling. The coupling may be physically checked by tugging or pulling on the male member. An improper connection is obvious if the male member disengages the female connector body. Reliance on physical inspection, however, has numerous disadvantages. The pulling or tugging force exerted on the male member may not be enough to cause the male member to disengage the connector body, even though an improper connection in fact exists. Further, the quick connector coupling may be inaccesibly located, for example, in a crowded engine compartment, making physical inspection difficult and burdensome.
It is sometimes possible to audibly verify a proper connection. Typically, as the male member is inserted into the female connector body, an audible "click" is heard when the male member locks into place. The click results from resilient arms of a retainer contained within the female connector body snapping into place behind an enlarged diameter upset portion formed on the male member. This method of verification is also deficient in several respects. The click may be very quiet or inaudible, making its detection difficult. Background noise in the workplace can make the task even more difficult. And, of course, an audio method of verification is inherently limited by the installer's hearing perception.
Generally, visual methods of connection verification have proven to be the most reliable. Various methods and mechanisms for visual verification of proper connection of a quick connector coupling are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,178,424, 5,152,555, 5,069,424, 4,979,765, 4,948,176, 4,946,205, 4,925,217, 4,915,420, 4,913,467, 4,895,396, 4,793,637, and 4,753,458.
The methods of visual connection verification shown in these patents also have various shortcomings. Many rely on the appearance or position of an indicator device at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the coupling itself. The indicator is not disengaged from the connector body, rather, the position of the indicator device relative to the connector body is indicative of whether there is a proper connection. As with methods of physical inspection, the usefulness of such devices is limited if the coupling is inaccesibly located or difficult to see. Furthermore, the indicator mechanisms employed in some of the prior connectors are overly complex and may protrude an objectionable amount from the connector body.
In other prior devices, a proper connection is signaled by complete disengagement of an indicator device from a connector body. Typically, upon proper connection, an indicator ring becomes freely moveable on the male member, making verification of a proper connection easy. These prior devices have been deficient, however, in that a potential exists to achieve a proper connection without concomittant release of the indicator device. In such cases, a false signal of an improper connection is given, requiring expenditure of time and effort to inspect the connection.
The quick connector insertion indicator of the present invention overcomes these prior deficiencies.